Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a display device. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a display device with improved reliability by way of suppressing introduction of foreign matter
Description of the Related Art
A conventional display device such as a liquid-crystal display (LCD) device may display images in such a manner that a light source is disposed below a liquid-crystal layer and an electric field is applied across the liquid-crystal layer to align the orientation of liquid-crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer so that the transmittance of light emitted from the light source is adjusted. Such display devices are employed in a variety of electronic devices such as smart phones, tablet PCs, etc. A display device also includes a display panel, and a backlight unit illuminating light to the display panel. The display panel and the backlight unit are assembled into a module. A cover glass is attached on the upper surface of the display panel, and a printed circuit board (PCB) is attached on the lower surface of the backlight unit, thereby producing a display device.
Recently, to improve the design of display devices while reducing the size, research efforts are ongoing to develop slimmer display devices. As the display devices become slimmer, however, adhesion space available for coupling the cover glass, the display panel, the backlight unit and the PCB is being reduced.
Specifically, the display panel may be accommodated in a guide mold of the backlight unit, and the guide mold may be attached on the bottom surface of the cover glass along the periphery of the cover glass. The PCB is coupled with the guide mold, and the display panel is connected to the PCB disposed on the bottom surface of the guide mold via a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB).
The guide mold is attached to the cover glass by an adhesion member. However, as display devices become thinner, the accommodation space of the backlight unit is reduced, the thickness of the guide mold is reduced to optimize the accommodation space, and thus the area by which the guide mold is attached to the cover glass is also reduced. As a result, the adhesive force of the adhesion member may become weaker. Accordingly, the guide mold can often get detached from the cover glass, and foreign matter can be introduced through a gap formed as the guide mold is detached from the cover glass, and the reliability of the display device can be reduced.